Bangers and Birds

As soon as the propane cannons start firing each year, the noise complaints start. Many people are surprised at how loud and annoying bird scaring devices are. Unfortunately, they have to be loud and annoying to do their job!

"To help reduce, but not necessarily eliminate complaints from neighbours, explain to them why cannons are needed and show them how they work. They may have some good ideas about how to control birds themselves. Given a chance to have input, some neighbours might complain less about the equipment."

If you're using propane cannons, remember to operate them only when birds are feeding (dawn to dusk) which starts at about 30 minutes before sunrise, and ends about 30 minutes after sunset, since there is enough light for birds to forage. It is considered normal farm practice to operate between this period, but never operate propane-fired-bird-scaring cannons, or electronic bird scarers outside of this time period. The table below shows when sunrise and sunset are over the foraging season for the main grape growing areas of the province. There is a fair bit of difference between the areas, because of their latitudinal and longitudinal positions. Sunrise and sunset also change considerably over the season, about a minute or so each day at both ends of the day, so take this into account in the operation of the equipment. Always set the firing interval for greater than 3 minutes. Birds rapidly acclimate and begin to tolerate bangs that occur at less than 3 minute intervals.

Keep the units as far away as possible from neighbours houses and move them frequently. For the most commonly used triple-firing type cannon that is rotating uniformly in all directions, it is considered normal farm practice to keep at least 400’ away from a neighbour’s house, further if possible. Make sure the cannon is level to stop it from firing more often in one direction than another. It is a serious problem if it fires more often toward a neighbour than in other directions.

If you’re using electronic sound devices, take some time to observe the birds. Which sounds or alarm calls are actually scaring the birds in your vineyard? Birds will acclimate to these sounds as well, so variety is the key, both in sounds and location.

Hand fired, whistling or pyrotechnic cartridges are very effective for scaring birds but be careful where you use them. They are an excellent adjunct to fixed sound producing units. Shooting birds directly is a waste of your time and effort.

A variety of visual repellents can be used in conjunction with sound devices. The ‘fake hawk’ flying silhouettes are realistic enough, although robins may fly low to avoid them after they have become used to them. Yellow scare eye balloons work for some species of birds but not for all. Starlings, our main pest bird species, often travel in large flocks and will not be scared by visual devices for very long.

Other points to remember as you try to keep the birds at bay:

| Top of Page |